It All Starts Somewhere
by contagiousrandomness
Summary: Years pass, people leave, hearts are broken and reunited, but does anything truly change? Everyone has found their way back to Lima, Ohio, and the only thing different about this time is that their kids will be the ones facing obstacles and overcoming all odds. Will they be able to succeed, or is this new generation just not up to par? SYOC Open!
1. Old Generation of Gleeks

**Rachel and Finn Hudson** - Rachel and Finn got back together after Will and Emma's second attempt at a wedding. Finn moved to New York to be with Rachel and started going to college at NYU. Rachel is currently an acting/singing coach at her own studio in Lima, _Rising Star Studios_, and Finn is a little league coach and sports announcer for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

**Kurt and Adam Drake-Hummel **- Kurt and Adam graduated from NYADA together, after which they took some time off to go backpacking over Europe. They are both currently back in Lima though, where Kurt has partnered with Rachel at her studio, and Adam is a park ranger.

**Brittany and Santana Lopez-Pierce **- Santana left the New York life behind her after Brittany graduated and the two girls moved to California together. They both got admitted into USC where they were cheerleaders yet again. These days, Santana is a successful lawyer and Brittany is a veterinarian.

**Quinn and Brody Weston **- Quinn and Brody met when Santana convinced her to pretend to be someone interested in buying drugs. Surprisingly enough, it turned out that Brody was not a drug dealer, which embarrassed Quinn, but that did not stop him from asking her out. Quinn is currently a dentist, while her husband, Brody, is a fireman.

**Marley and Jake Puckerman **- After Marley and Jake graduated, Marley went off to Penn State, while Jake got a scholarship to play baseball for the University of North Carolina. They managed to make their long distance relationship work, and moved in together after college. Today, Marley is a journalist and Jake is a minor league baseball player.

**Sugar and Artie Abrams **- Sugar and Artie both attended the University of Texas after graduation. Artie is currently the director for a show on NBC, while Sugar is a wedding planner.

**Mercedes and Sam Evans **- After Sam left McKinley, he joined a non-profit organization that helped rebuild homes for victims of natural disasters. While doing some construction in California, he ran into Mercedes, who was working on her debut album. Mercedes currently owns a record label in Lima, while Sam is one of the designers on _Extreme Makeover Home Edition._

**Wesley and Harmony Greene **- Wes and Harmony met at a kick boxing class during their teenage years. They were the true definition of high school sweathearts, and even went to the same college together. After graduation, Wes enlisted in the Navy Airforce while Harmony attended dental school. Last year, Wes was killed in an air strike, which caused a heart broken Harmony to move back to Lima to be closer to friends and family. She currently works with Quinn at the dentists' office.

**Blaine Anderson: **After Blaine graduated from McKinley, he was accepted into NYADA along with Rachel and Kurt. When he attempted to try and win Kurt back, he realized his one true love was going to be with Adam for good. At that point, Blaine dropped out of NYADA and moved to California, where he met a handsome movie producer, Paul Talent. The two ended up getting married and adopting a child together. Unfortunately, this romance didn't last forever, and Paul left his family after just two short years of marriage. These days, Blaine is a social worker for the state of Ohio.


	2. Let's Go Back to the Start

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

It was a beautiful Wednesday afternoon; everyone was recovering from their summer vacation while trying to break back into their normal school return. Wake up at 6 am, shower, get dressed in something appropriate (pants are required now that school has started), eat breakfast, meet up with old friends, and then endure seven hours at the grueling educational institution known as high school.

Dorothy Drake-Hummel and Barbara Hudson walked arm-in-arm through the parking lot of McKinley High School, Barbra reminiscing on the unforgettable memories she had last year, and Dorothy, with it being her first year at the school, wondering what the new year had in store for her and her friends. The two young girls had known each other their entire lives, due to their parents working together and being so close. They were always in the same classroom, from pre-school up until middle school; they took acting classes together for 11 years; and not once within the many years they had known each other had their friendship faltered.

"So, Dory, are you excited for the Glee Club auditions after school today?" Barbra asked.

"Oh my gosh, yes!" She exclaimed. "We'll finally be on the same team again. Last year was not fun at all without you."

"Aw, thank you." The brunette gushed. "But you forgot to mention the part where we win Nationals."

Dorothy laughed, playfully hitting herself in the head. "Oh, of course. We can't forget about that. Is Emily's aunt still coaching the club?"

"Gwen?" Barbra questioned. "Yeah, this will be her third year."

"I've always liked her." The shorter girl admitted. "Whenever we have family reunions, she's always one of the coolest adults there. Anyway, enough Glee Club talk, you had a date last night! How did it go?" Dorothy asked, intrigued.

Barbara couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Ugh, it went terrible. Just another guy that went out with me because he thought I was hot. I really thought he was going to be different, but he showed absolutely no interest in what I had to say, and was more preoccupied with how far my skirt went up my thighs when I sat down." The sophomore recalled, somewhat nauseated.

"Oh yes, that must feel terrible, having so many guys wanting to go on dates with you." Dorothy said with a laugh, nudging her friend in the shoulder.

"No, I'm serious." Barbra pleaded. "I wish I could find a guy that likes me for me, and doesn't rank me on a scale from one to ten, or buys me dinner in hopes of telling all of his jock friends about how he hooked up with Rachel Hudson's daughter."

At that moment, a car drove into the parking space Dorothy and Barbra were standing next to. The car's doors flew open, and Duke and Violet Greene stepped out of the older boy's red, Mercedes-Benz convertible. Duke grabbed his book bag from the backseat, and then used the automatic car lock on his key chain to lock it. He took off his gray shades, glancing around at his new school, while Violet flung her book bag over her shoulder and slid her cell phone into her jean pocket.

"Hey, maybe this is the guy you've been waiting for." Dorothy teased. "You have to admit, he's not terrible to look at."

"True, but who is he?" Barbra wondered. "I've never seen him around here before, nor the girl for that matter."

"Maybe he's new." The freshman guessed. "He does have the "sexy new kid" vibe going on."

"There's a vibe for that?" Her friend questioned. "Never mind, we'll learn who the mystery guy is later. Right now, you and I need to get to class." Barbra drug Dorothy through the main entrance of the school and both girls headed off to their first period of the day. Duke and Violet remained in the parking lot, not as excited for their first day.

"Remind me again why we had to move here?" Violet asked.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like we're going to be staying for a while, so I suggest you make yourself at home." Her brother replied.

"This isn't home." The brunette stated, bluntly, before walking inside. She had a right to be angry though, her home was ripped out like a rug from under her, and there was nothing she could do to change that.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

Aurora Wilde, Delilah Abrams, and Evita Lopez-Pierce were standing by their perfectly placed, right in a row lockers, applying a few touch-ups of makeup and reading the new issue of _Teen Vogue_ magazine. Kitty Wilde, the coach of the Cheerios, had convinced Principal Will Shuester to let the cheerleaders have their own separate row of lockers. She claimed it helped build teamwork, and that if he disagreed with her terms, she'd accuse him of sexism.

"I still can't believe your mom got the cheer squad their own section of lockers. Turns out being a vindictive tyrant has its perks." Lilah said to the cheer captain, applying an extra coat of lip gloss.

"Not to mention they're right next to some of the hottest guys on the football team." Evita added, waving to a few jocks in Letterman jackets.

Aurora just rolled her eyes and smiled. "Good lord, is that all you ever think about?" She asked.

"Hey, unlike you and Lilah, I don't have a boyfriend." The freshman responded. "It's practically my obligation as a hot cheerleader to be as flirty as possible."

"Good point." Lilah replied. "Speaking of boyfriends, wherefore art thou Romeo? Seriously A, you need to keep that boy on a tighter leash. Who knows where he might be running off to."

"Hey, he's a person, not a dog." Aurora clarified. "And you don't need to worry about him, our relationship is stronger than ever. That's more than you can say for yours and Jason's. Did you two spend any time together this summer?"

"Ouch, retract the claws, A." The sophomore advised with a chuckle. "I was merely stating my opinion. Besides, Jason and I had a lot of things going on this summer. He was busy with off-season football, and I had that art contest to focus on."

"Congrats on getting first place by the way." Evita added, to which Lilah couldn't help but smile. Her friends never shied away from showing how proud they were of her.

"Oh, who are we congratulating?" Romeo asked, coming up to the girls and swinging his arm around Aurora's shoulder. He was sporting his men's Cheerios uniform, mirroring the girl's attire, and chewing on a Nutri-Grain bar.

"Lilah," his sister stated, putting her hands on her hips, "for placing first in Ohio's art competition. If you were her friend you'd already know that."

"Okay, my bad." Romeo responded, throwing his hands up in defense. "I didn't know. Is there anything else I should be informed on before you berate me again?"

The girls thought for a moment, before Aurora spoke up. "Oh, Katy is coming home from boarding school this weekend!"

"Finally?" Lilah asked. "Thank god, this summer just wasn't the same without her. I missed her sassy attitude. When did you find this out?"

"Last night." Aurora clarified. "She claimed she was breaking out, but I talked to her dad and he told me he wanted her home when the new semester started back up."

Romeo laughed. "Do you remember last year when she sent a male stripper gram to Mr. Benson's English class and everyone thought he was gay? That shit was hilarious!"

"It still fathoms me how the principal never figured out it was her. The bitch is sneaky, I'll give her that." Lilah said.

"She's practically a role model for young teens." Evita added, and everyone burst out into a fit of laughter. If there was one person in the world who could ease tension as well as she could create it, it was the girls' ballsy fourth amiga.

When the girls and Romeo finally managed to cease their giggling, Lilah looked up and spotted a boy she had never seen before walking into the school. The black leather jacket he was wearing gave off a mysterious, bad-boy vibe that the sophomore so easily found attractive. Sure, she was just talking about her boyfriend a few minutes ago, but where does it say that if you're in a relationship, you can't find other people sexy as hell? Hmm…she might have to look into that one.

"Alright, one question," Lilah began, "does anyone know who that is?" She asked, pointing at the boy.

Evie looked up to where she was pointing. "No, but I want to. Can you say yummy?"

"Oh, come on, that guy has toolbag written all over him." Romeo responded. "Who wears sunglasses inside?"

"Well I think it's hot." His sister replied. "As a matter of fact, I think I may even go say hello." Before any of her friends could object, Evita had stepped in front of the rather strapping, 6'0 tall student, making sure to turn on her extra charming voice before speaking.

"Hi, I'm Evita." The freshman radiated, sticking out her hand.

The boy stared at it, seeming somewhat startled. She had literally come out of nowhere. After a moment's hesitation, the boy responded. "Duke." He said, not bothering to return the handshake. Instead, he adjusted the strap on his book bag.

Once Evita realized she wasn't going to receive a continuing response, she immediately retracted her hand. "So, Duke…are you new here?" She asked.

An uninterested Duke redirected his attention back on the girl, wondering why she hadn't moved out of his way already. "Yeah, I moved here from California."

"Oh, the Sunshine State!" The brunette spoke, excitedly.

"Actually, that's Florida." The junior corrected. "California's the Golden State."

"Is it?" Evita questioned, trying to think back to the last history lesson she paid attention to. Nothing came to mind. "Oh well, I was never good with geography anyways." Not missing a beat, Lilah cleared her throat in hopes of capturing her friend's concentration. There was no way she was ending this conversation without introducing her. After all, she_ was_ the one that spotted him in the first place. "Oh, right, these are my friends Aurora, Romeo, and Lilah. We're all on the cheer squad together."

"I never would've guessed." Duke replied, sarcastically, glancing at their matching red and white uniforms. "Anyway, I should probably get going. I have a lot of places I need to be before the end of the day."

Before Duke could fully make his way around the freshman, she spoke up once again. "Hey, wait, what class do you have for first period?"

"Um…" The blonde glanced at the schedule in his hands, "gym. Why?"

"Hey, that's what class Lilah has. She can take you there." Evita grabbed her friend's hand, practically shoving the two together and whispering to Lilah, "Make sure to put in a good word for me."

Lilah just rolled her eyes, creating some distance so she wasn't completely "up close and personal" with a boy she had only just met. "I'm not sure a word like that exists." The sophomore mumbled back. She also directed a quick, "Sorry," to Duke, before her expression turned somewhat annoyed. "Oh god, here we go."

"Wh-" Duke's question was cut off when someone turned him around by the shoulder, and he came face-to-face with a boy about an inch taller than him, standing at a height of 6'1.

"Hey, you best step away from my girlfriend if you prefer your arm attached to your body." The jock threatened, shoving Duke in the chest. "Was he flirting with you?" He asked, looking at Lilah.

"No, Jason," his girlfriend replied, rubbing her fingers over her forehead, "he was just trying to get to class. That is, before you charged over and accused him of something he had no part in. God, and you wonder why I get so irritated with you at times."

"Well sorry for jumping to conclusions, but if some guy I don't know starts getting all up on you, I think I have the right to be a little upset." The junior countered.

"You know who'd say something like that?" Lilah questioned. "An insanely jealous person with frequent symptoms of delusion."

"Hey, I don't really feel like being in the midst of your lover's quarrel, so if you could move yourself and that egg head of yours out of the way, I'd appreciate it." Duke interrupted, to which Evita's and Aurora's mouths dropped. That was definitely an insult if they'd ever heard one.

"What did you just say to me?" Jason seethed.

"My goodness, do I really need to repeat myself? I'm starting to wonder if anyone around here even listens to a word I say." The junior replied, stepping around him. Jason wasn't too keen on letting someone upstage him like that though, and whipped the boy back around. But before he could get a good, solid hit in, someone maneuvered in between them.

"Alright Jason, I think he gets the picture." Said a boy wearing a similar Letterman jacket to Jason's, with wavy, dark brown hair and hazel-colored eyes.

Jason retracted his now-steady fist and tugged on his wrinkled jacket. "You're lucky Chris, if my mom wasn't friends with your mom I'd totally kick his ass right now."

"Pssh, I'd like to see you try." Duke scoffed.

Chris visibly tensed, shaking his head. "Dude," he muttered, "you're not helping."

"Just get your frat boy out of here, Hudson." Jason said, shoving Chris in the shoulder before turning around and putting his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.

Lilah looked back a moment to where Chris was standing with Duke in the hallway. The junior had his eyes on her as well, them basically asking, "Well aren't you going to defend me?" The cheerleader just shrugged her shoulders, acting like it was no big deal.

Chris huffed in response. What did he expect to happen? No one at this school ever did anything that wasn't expected of them. While Chris' attention was focused on Lilah, Duke had already begun walking down the hallway. The junior hurried to catch up to him, curious to who he was.

"Is that guy always such a jackass?" Duke asked before Chris could even get a word out.

"He has his moments." The brown-haired boy replied. "I'm Chris Hudson, by the way."

"Duke Greene." He said in return. "So is everyone at this school a little unconventional, or is it just Mr. Sunshine and that flirty cheerleader?"

"Oh, so you've met Evita, huh? Don't worry, she's not preparing to stalk you or anything, she flirts with every guy." Chris responded, nonchalantly.

"The fact that you resorted to ensuring me I wasn't about to be stalked, kind of already answers my question." Duke replied, finally locating his locker. He entered in the combo, and tossed his book bag in.

Chris laughed. "I promise you, not everyone at this school is that bad. Those are just the popular kids, barely anyone likes them."

"Well aren't you popular?" Duke asked, noticing the boy's Letterman jacket. "Shouldn't you be hanging out with them?"

"I'm a different kind of popular. I don't hang out with the cheerleaders like a lot of other jocks do. I'm mostly friends with people in Glee Club."

"Glee Club?" The blonde asked. "Isn't that sort of, I don't know, outdated? I mean, my parents were in one in high school, you'd think it'd be a fad by now."

"No way, Glee Club is a huge thing right now. Even the jocks and cheerleaders are in it. We made it all the way to Regionals last year. Hey, I bet because your parents can sing, you have some musical talent in you as well. Glee Club could always use more guys, you should really think about trying out. Auditions are after school every day this week."

"Yeah...I hate to rain on your parade, but I don't sing." Duke clarified, shutting his locker and walking off yet again.

"Well all I'm saying is that you should think about it." Chris said, nearly having to shout to make his voice heard. The hallways were bustling with clamoring students. "You never know, something about it might surprise you!"

"I'll take my chances!" Duke hollered back, and with that, he turned the corner and disappeared.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

Lyric Drake-Hummel was in the Foods classroom with two of her closest friends, Leonardo Evans and Shepherd Weston. The three of them had been assigned by their teacher to make a dessert of their choice, but it had to include the ingredient of the day: honey. As a group, they decided on a honey cake recipe with a strawberry topping.

Now, while the boys didn't really take Foods class seriously and only joined to eat free food, Lyric was extremely passionate about all of it. One day, she hoped to study at Le Cordon Bleu, either in New York or Paris, and become a chef and owner of her own restaurant.

"Hey, Rikki, would you say I've stirred this enough?" Shepherd asked, moving his hand out of the way so she could see.

"It's still too watery, Shep. We need it to have a fluffy texture, so it peaks at the top." The sophomore explained, patting him on the shoulder.

"Um...Lyric, what the heck is a whisk?" Leo questioned, totally confused.

"You honestly don't know what a whisk is?" Lyric asked, dumbfounded. "_This _is a whisk, Leo." She clarified, holding up a silver cooking utensil in the shape of a light bulb. "You use it to stir things. God, it's like I'm working with amateurs!"

"Well maybe that's because we _are _amateurs." Shepherd said.

"Oh...right, good point." The brunette replied. "Now get back to work."

Lyric always took control while in the kitchen. Even with her family, she always made them dinner, and got slightly irritated when people didn't listen to what she told them to do.

While mixing the cake mix, Shepherd couldn't help but notice Lyric hovering over his shoulder. "Do you mind?" He asked. "You're kind of blowing my concentration."

"Oh, sorry." The sophomore apologized, moving to stand next to him. "But are you sure that I'm the one causing you to lose focus? I've caught you staring at Leo every 10 seconds since class started."

"Hey, come on now, you know we're just good friends." Shepherd whispered.

"No, Shep, you and I are just good friends. There's something more with you and Leo. I can see it." Lyric assured.

"You're wrong." The junior insisted, picking up the bowl and pouring the fluffy mixture into the baking pan.

"Why are you so intent on fighting it? Everyone knows you two are into each other, now we're all just waiting to see who makes the first move."

"But why does it have to be me that makes the first move?" Shepherd asked.

"It has to be you because Leo's, well...Leo. He never takes anything seriously. He's content with flirting with every guy that gives him a look, that's why you need to step up to the plate and take him off the market." Lyric explained.

"I don't think I can do that." He replied, maneuvering around her to place the pan in the oven.

"God, that's the problem with all you macho guys. You're never brave enough to admit your feelings, no matter how much they're eating you up inside." The sophomore said. "I'm about to give you some tough love, Shep. You're my best friend, I think you deserve it." She let out a deep breath before continuing.

"Leo is not going to stay single forever. He's a good-looking, athletic, funny, smart," She paused, not helping to notice him using a giant spoon to scratch his back, "well, actually, that part's debatable. My point is, you better make your move fast, because you might not get another chance."

"I appreciate you're concern, Rikki, I really do, but I can make my own decisions. Leo and I are better as friends." With that, Shepherd walked away, planning on telling the teacher he needed to use the restroom. Lyric just leaned up against the counter, thinking to herself how truly idiotic her friends could be at times.

"For heaven's sake, this is not something you use to scratch your back!" She said, scolding her friend and hitting him on the head with a ladle. "Barbarians, all of you."

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

Violet Greene was in the library for study hall, trying to pick out something good for the book report she needed to write for her English class, but coming up short with anything that seemed even the slightest bit interesting. Usually in this situation, she would check out a book on helicopters or air planes, something she had grown very fond of since a very young age, but not even those captured her attention anymore.

Violet always loved planes because it was something her and her father had in common. They were both pilots. They always used to fly around the California coast together, seeking new adventures and wasting time on the scenic routes. But those old memories were out of reach now, and all she had to look forward to was a shelf of meaningless books.

"You look troubled." A girl spoke, coming up to the junior. She had long brown hair and was dressed in a fitted gray sweater, blue skinny jeans, gray Converse, and a tan-colored beanie. "Need help finding a book?"

"I don't know, does your school's library have anything titled, "As if my life couldn't get any worse, my mother decided to move us to Lima, Ohio, a place where I have no friends and spend the day wallowing in my own misery?"

"Wow, you have total teenage angst written all over you." The brunette responded. "So you're new here, huh? Yeah, that can be tough. What year are you?"

"Junior." Violet replied.

"Me too!" The girl cheeped, a little too loudly. "I'm Emily." She said with a smile, holding out her hand.

"Violet; the tortured soul." The other girl replied, shaking it.

"Oh, you come with your own title. Maybe I should have one as well." The junior thought. "I guess now I'm Emily; the loyal friend."

"How charming, but I doubt you want to be friends with me." Violet said, just giving the girl a warning in advance.

"Oh, come on, everyone needs friends." Emily insisted.

"Not me." She assured, shaking her head. "Not here."

"Well where else are you going to find them? It's not like you can just move back to whatever place it was that you left."

"Just...leave me alone, okay?" Violet asked, rubbing a palm to her forehead and walking further down the aisle, making sure that Emily girl didn't follow her. When she reached the other end of the bookshelf, she noticed a few girls come up to Emily and start talking to her.

"'Sup, _Em_." Lilah Abrams hissed. When the junior tried to turn around, she was boxed in by Romeo and Evita Lopez-Pierce. "So, the word going around school is that coach Wilde is planning on asking you to join the Cheerios again this year. I suggest, that if you know what's good for you, you'll decline her offer like last time."

"I don't even want to join the Cheerios." Emily replied. "I can't stand coach Wilde, there's no way I would ever be able to cheer for a woman like that."

"Good, so we have an understanding." Lilah confirmed, knocking her books on the floor before her and her friends left. "Whoops, better pick those up."

As the Cheerios left, Emily bent down to pick up her scattered books, but to her surprise, someone else was there to lend a helping hand. It was Violet, and she offered up a book with a light smile. It wasn't much, but Emily noticed it.

"Are they always so rude like that?" She asked.

"Oh, what Lilah just did was harmless." The junior said, standing up with her books. "You should see Katy in action, now that girl knows how to tear someone a new one." Emily noticed Violet's confusion, and remembered she was new to the school and had no idea who Katy was.

"She's a cheerleader like the rest of them." Emily clarified. "She spent the entire summer in boarding school and is now coming back with what will probably be a chip on her shoulder. I'm already preparing for the worst."

"Why don't you ever stand up to them?" Violet asked. "If that were me I probably would have decked her."

Emily chuckled. "I just don't really see the point in it. Sure, they make me angry sometimes, but what is violence going to solve? The only time I really get mad is when they insult my friends or family."

"Hmm...I guess that's a good way to approach things, but don't think I'm going to let them talk to you like that anymore now that we're friends." The junior said.

"We're friends?" Emily asked, happily, yet somewhat surprised at the same time.

"What?" It took Violet a moment to register what she had just said. "Maybe, it depends. 1. You can't be so cheery all the time, no one's meant to be that happy. And 2...well, I don't have a 2 yet, but if I think of one I'll be sure to tell you."

"Sounds good to me." Emily shrugged, displaying a huge smile. "You want to grab lunch?"

"Does your cafeteria serve french fries?" Violet asked.

"Yes." Her new friend replied.

"Let's hit it!" The two girls walked out of the library together, Violet feeling a little bit better than when she walked in.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

The end of the day came sooner than expected for some, as Dorothy and Evita prepared for their Glee Club auditions. Gwen Puckerman was only allowing about a minute and a half for each audition, so both girls had to cut their songs a bit short.

Dorothy was up first, and stood up from her chair before walking up the steps to the stage.

"Break a leg." Evita encouraged. "Literally."

"Hush." Gwen said to the cheerleader. "Whenever you're ready, hun."

"Hi, I'm Dorothy Drake-Hummel and I'll be singing "The Wizard and I" from the Broadway musical classic, Wicked." Dorothy took center stage, as the orchestra started up.

_Unlimited_  
_My future is unlimited_  
_And I've just had a vision_  
_Almost like a prophecy_  
_I know - it sounds truly crazy_  
_And true, the vision's hazy_  
_But I swear, someday there'll be_  
_A celebration throughout Oz_  
_That's all to do with me!_

"Wow, this girl has one powerful voice!" Theo announced, to which Evita couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"She ain't that great." The freshman mumbled.

_And I'll stand there with the Wizard,_  
_Feeling things I've never felt_  
_And though I'd never show it,_  
_I'd be so happy, I could melt!_  
_And so it will be_  
_For the rest of my life,_  
_And I'll want nothing else_  
_Till I die_  
_Held in such high esteem_  
_When people see me, they will scream_  
_For half of Oz's favorite team;_  
_The Wizard_  
_And I!_

Dorothy's performance received a standing ovation from the crowd, with the exception of the Cheerios. They never seemed happy about anything unless they were inflicting never-ending suffering upon everyone around them.

"Yeah, yeah, can we just move along to my performance now?" Evita asked, standing up and silencing the audience.

"Of course, Evita." Gwen replied. "Wonderful job, Dorothy. Let's give her another round of applause for that spectacular performance."

Evita drowned out the incessant clapping of hands together as she took the stage where her rival, Dorothy, once stood. "Not like I need an introduction or anything considering my undeniable popularity, but I'm Evita Lopez-Pierce and I'll be singing "Out Tonight" from one of my favorite musicals of all time, RENT."

Once again the band started up and Evita began singing.

_What's the time?_  
_Well it's gotta be close to midnight_  
_My body's talking to me_  
_It says, "Time for danger"_

_It says "I wanna commit a crime"_  
_Wanna be the cause of a fight_  
_I wanna put on a tight skirt and flirt_  
_With a stranger_

"Well, one thing's for certain." Jason said. "She may be bossy and narcissistic, but she definitely knows how to work it on stage. Get it, girl!" This comment only received him a glare from both Lilah and Romeo.

_I've had a knack from way back_  
_At breaking the rules once I learn the games_  
_Get up - life's too quick_  
_I know someplace sick_  
_Where this chick'll dance in the flames_  
_We don't need any money_  
_I always get in for free_  
_You can get in too_  
_If you get in with me_

Everyone was aware of what a great dancer Evita was, but the moves she was throwing up on stage were incredible. She had somehow managed to mix in hip-hop, ballet, and tap and make it look absolutely breathtaking.

_Let's go out tonight_  
_I have to go out tonight_  
_You wanna play?_  
_Let's run away_  
_We won't be back before it's New Year's Day_  
_Take me out tonight_

Once the song had finished, the auditorium erupted into a cheering frenzy, with even Dorothy finding the decency to get a few claps in. Evita did a quick curtsy and jumped down off the stage.

"Looks like I won this round, Hobbit." Evita taunted. "Better luck next time."

Dorothy resisted the urge to trip the cheerleader as she walked past her isle, mostly because she knew that would be letting her off easy. How was she supposed to survive four years of Glee Club with Evita insulting her every five minutes? Dorothy didn't have a solid answer for that yet, all she knew was that she was going to enjoy Glee Club no matter what Evita did, and soon enough, she hoped karma would come around to bite her in the ass.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

The next day, Theodore Evans was in the art room for third period, organizing the painting supplies he had pulled from his messenger bag and reserving seats at his table for his more artistic friends. Theo had had the same group of students at his table every year, and they always ended up having so much fun together, comparing drawings, writing hilarious notes in each other's notebooks, and admiring beautiful masterpieces from famous artists like Picasso, Van Gogh, and Da Vinci.

It had been a slow day for the junior thus far, having to sit through boring math lectures and tedious English lessons. Art was the one thing Theo loved most in the entire world, and nothing could ever take the place of that in his heart.

Theo's friends arrived within five minutes of his pre-planning, as the bell signaling passing time was over rang through the halls of McKinley. Mrs. Harper, the art teacher, stood up from her desk and walked to the front of the room.

"Good afternoon class," she greeted, smiling, "I've noticed some new and old faces as you all walked into the classroom today, and I must say, it's wonderful to see so many students taking an interest in art this semester. I remember when I started teaching here, the only thing kids seemed to want to do was cheer or play football, so I appreciate-"

Mrs. Harper was cut off when she heard her door shut and saw the captain of the cheer squad standing in her doorway. "Ah, Ms. Wilde, how nice of you to join us. I hope my schedule wasn't too inconvenient for you." The woman stated sarcastically, crossing her arms in front of her. A few students giggled, but not loud enough for anyone to take notice.

"Sorry, Mrs. Harper." The blonde blushed, or maybe that was just the exhaustion that provided the reddening in her cheeks. "Fifth period cheerleading practice ran a tad over schedule. It won't happen again."

"I trust that it won't. Now have a seat." She replied, sternly.

Aurora Wilde rushed over to the nearest table she could find, which happened to be Theo's, and quickly and quietly set her books down in front of her, resting her chin on top of them and exhaling a deep breath. Her mother must have put her and the squad through one hell of a workout. Theodore looked severely annoyed with her choice of seating, and decided to address it with her.

"Can't you sit somewhere else?" Theo hissed as their teacher continued talking.

Aurora looked over at the boy while glancing around the room. "This was the only seat left." She whispered back.

Theo sighed. Why did the only open seat have to be right next to him? Because Nick Parker decided to drop art at the last second and not tell him about it, that's why. Theo didn't usually dislike people. In fact, he radiated happiness and always wanted to create a positive influence in the world, but there was just something about Aurora that irked him. She seemed like a spoiled beauty queen that had people doing everything she asked, just like her mother. He didn't understand why she had to join the only thing he felt passionate about. Didn't she have enough on her plate to keep her occupied?

Theo's friends, however, seemed to have a different reaction towards the blonde. They sat and stared at her beauty, not being able to rip their eyes away. This was nothing new to Aurora. Boys fancied her all the time; it was nothing to feel bothered about. It was actually quite flattering.

"Now class, we're going to kick things off with a little painting exercise, so if everyone could get up and grab a paintbrush, a painting kit, and a few sheets of paper, we can get started." As Ms. Harper finished talking and students got up from their seats, her telephone rang. After the call ended, she spoke again to the class. "Looks like I'm going to have to run down to the main office for a minute. Feel free to try out your skills, paint what you would like. I'll be back soon."

As everyone retrieved their art supplies, Theo had his own laid out right in front of him. He always brought his own supplies to class, having purchased expensive and more detailed brushes with plans of creating much finer works of art.

"Hey, could one of you boys grab me a brush? I'm still feeling a little tired from cheer practice." Aurora said with a giggle, showing off her beautiful, white smile.

"Oh, yeah, like they'd give you a paintbrush." Theo replied as if what she asked was the most absurd thing in the world. He believed his friends would back him up on this one, but instead, they were all more than willing to assist her, handing her brushes left and right.

"Thank you, Oliver." Aurora said, sweetly.

"You know, you really 'ought to be a little more courteous." Oliver whispered to Theo, nudging him in the shoulder.

Theo shook him off and stood up, saying to himself, "Oh great, now I'm getting etiquette advice from a guy that has belching contests for fun." He couldn't help but face palm.

"You know Theo; she could be really good at it if you give her a chance." One boy pointed out.

"Why thank you, Kyle." Aurora smiled.

"Yeah, and at least she's willing to try. I say she deserves the benefit of the doubt." Another said.

"I agree." Oliver replied.

"This..._girl, _wouldn't know how to draw a stick figure!" Theo exclaimed, becoming extremely frustrated with his friends right now. How could they be defending her?

His statement caused Aurora to roll her eyes and stand up from her chair, not being able to take his criticisms any longer. She got enough of that from her mother. She turned in his direction, not wavering from her strong stance for a second. "Honestly, you are the most boorish, bull-headed man I have ever met."

"Hey, lady, I've seen the high-class, pretty boys you hang out with. I'm the _only_ man you've ever met." Theo replied, while pointing to himself, then turning around. Aurora dropped her jaw, along with a few of Theo's friends, and she became so irritated, she chucked the painting kit on the table at his head. Paint splattered all over his head and on his clothes, to which the people in the art room became eerily quiet.

Theo turned around, seeming rather cool and collected, while Aurora just rubbed her fingers together, seeming pleased with her handy work. Theo smirked, and picked up a can of paint from a nearby counter.

"No...no...don't you dare." Aurora warned, but before she could react, paint was flying in her direction. Theo firmly hit his target, ruining her Cheerio's uniform. The blonde looked down at her stained clothing, causing her emotions to surpass irritation, and become completely overwhelmed with fury.

"You...egotistical," She began,

"You spoiled," Theo countered,

"ill-mannered, conceited," Aurora picked up a paint brush,

"unrefined," He continued,

"narcissistic," and threw it at his head, "pretentious,"

"high-and-mighty," The boy said,

Aurora continued to throw things at him, "crude, impractical, demented, ungrateful, intolerable!"

"At least I'm not repressed!" Theo shouted, getting in her face.

"Repressed!? I'll show you repressed." She picked up one of her heavy binders and was about to whack him over the head with it when Mrs. Harper walked back into the room.

Immediately, everyone in the classroom told the teacher, "They did it," pointing at Theo and Aurora.

"Well, I don't think I even need to say it, but...Principal's office. Now." Mrs. Harper said sternly, and ushered them both out the door. Theo figured his first day back at school may be eventful, but he never imagined anything like this happening. As for Aurora, she couldn't help but think to herself, _"My mom is going to kill me for this."_

On the other side of the room, unbeknownst to many due to the breakout fight that had just occurred, were Chris and Duke. Both boys looked rather shocked.

"What did I tell you? Everyone at this school belongs in the looney bin." Duke confirmed.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

Barbra, Dorothy, and Lyric were in the cafeteria, walking through the lunch line and chatting about themes to do for Glee Club this year. Lyric had always wanted to do a guys vs. girls mash-off, while Dorothy would be ecstatic to perform Disney songs, and Barbra wouldn't mind dabbling in a little country music.

"I think it would be fun to have a week where we only did songs from musicals." Dorothy suggested.

"I agree." Her sister replied. "Speaking of which, does anyone know what musical the school is doing this year?"

"Well, as you both know my mother is a part of production, and after some long, intense begging on my part, she finally revealed to me what it was." Barbra paused, letting the tension mount. "Hairspray!"

"Yes!" Dorothy exclaimed. "That Penny part is mine."

"Not so fast little sister." Lyric replied, and the freshman sent her a death glare. "I'm auditioning for her too."

"Oh, a little sibling rivalry." Barbra noticed. "Well the best of luck to both of you, seeing as how I can't really choose sides."

After purchasing their lunches, Barbra deciding on a simple salad with a side of oranges, Dorothy sticking with her normal choice of strawberries and a sub sandwich, and Lyric not being able to resist Sherbert ice cream and a slice of cheese pizza, the girls headed over to the condiments table. Barbra lightly coated her salad with ranch dressing, as Dorothy squeezed a packet of mayo onto her sandwich.

While Barbra was emersed in a conversation with Dorothy, a boy accidentally ran into her back, almost making her spill her food, which made the sophomore somewhat agitated.

"I'm sorry, excuse me." The boy said, politely.

Barbra didn't even bother turning around to confront him. After all, boys will be boys. "Sure." She replied, trying to brush it off.

"Uh...I was just looking for some ketchup." The boy continued. "Could you help me out?"

"Right in front of you." The sophomore said, rolling her eyes. First he bumps into her, then has the audacity to ask her a stupid question like that?

"Well, could you be a little bit more specific?" He asked.

Getting more irritated by the minute, Barbra whipped around, about to give him a piece of her mind, "What are you-"

"Blind? Yeah." Replied a boy with light blonde hair, dark sunglasses, and a walking cane in his left hand. Barbra was shocked, she felt so terrible for ignoring him, but how was she supposed to know he was blind? What he was saying could have been a really lame pick-up line for all she knew.

"You asked." The blind boy said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh wow, I am so sorry." She apologized, handing him the ketchup.

"That's okay." He assured, trying to relieve some of the tension. He didn't want the girl to feel bad.

Just then, a few meathead jocks came up to the boy and threw his lunch tray on the ground.

"Nice hands, Helen Keller." One of the jocks said, laughing hysterically.

"Yeah, maybe you should invest in some new glasses, freak." Another one badgered, stealing his sunglasses.

"Hey, give those back to him!" Barbra ordered.

"Or what? You'll rat us out to the principal?" The leader of the jocks asked.

"As a matter of fact I will." The sophomore warned. "My parents happen to know Principal Shuester personally, he and his wife have even been over to our house for dinner several times; I'm sure he'd believe anything I told him."

"Whatever, he can have his stupid glasses back." One of boys muttered, tossing them on the ground. "Come on guys, let's get out of here and leave the princess and her charity case alone." The jocks fled the scene, while Barbra knelt down and picked up his glasses.

She dusted them off on her shirt, before standing on her tip toes to place them back over his eyes. "Some friends of yours?" She asked, sarcastically.

"You know I've never seen them before." He replied, causing Barbra to smile. "Sean Wilde."

"Nice to meet you, Sean Wilde." The sophomore responded, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you." The boy repeated. Although he couldn't see her walking away, he could hear as her footsteps got further and further away from him. "I didn't get your name." Sean said.

"I didn't give it." Barbra replied, walking off with her friends.

"Hey, why didn't you tell him your name?" Dorothy asked, whispering. "He was kind of cute."

"I don't want him to find out who I am." She responded. "It's fun being a little mysterious for a change."

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

Later in the evening, around 6 pm, some of the teenage boys in town were gathered together down at the motocross track, preparing to race in a practice tournament that would ultimately benifit them for more important, future races. Jason Weston was already qualified for the tournament, while Duke found out about it a few days ago and convinced the head of the event committee to let him be a last minute sign-up.

While Duke was making a few repairs on his green dirt bike, he noticed a girl having trouble with what looked like her own. Her hair was a beautiful, chocolate brown color, and her eyes were the brightest blue orbs he had ever seen. She was attempting to haul the bike out of a black pick-up truck, but wasn't having much luck due to her weak exterior. He quickly hurried over to where she was, and offered up his assistance.

"Hey, let me help you with that." Duke said, causing the girl to turn around. When their eyes met, she smiled.

"Be my guest." She replied. "I've been at this for the last 10 minutes, I was beginning to wonder if there were any gentlemen left in this world. I guess it's nice to know that there are."

"Well, my mother always told me to treat every woman the same as if it were her." The junior responded.

"Oh, so you're a mamma's boy." The brunette teased.

"I never said that." Duke said with a chuckle. "Now hop up," He ordered, tapping the bed of the pick-up truck, "I'm going to lower the end of the bike to the ground while you push the front of it towards me. Think you can handle it?"

The girl hopped up onto the truck, and took her position at the front of the bike. "Ready when you are." She said.

Duke just smiled, nodding his head. The girl had spunk, he liked that. "Alright, on 3. 1...2...3." Duke pulled the bike out of the truck while she pushed it towards him. Once the bike was safely on the ground, she jumped down from the bed of pick-up.

"Mission accomplished." The girl said, dusting off her hands. "I'd say we make a pretty good team."

"Likewise." The blonde responded. "And I wouldn't be too worried that I was the only guy that came over to help you. I'm sure they're all just intimidated by the fact that you ride motocross. You have to admit, it's pretty badass."

The girl wanted to correct him, but thought it would be funny if she toyed with him a while longer. "Oh yeah, I'm fairly good, I bet I could take you. I actually just got back from competing in the X Games." If her smile didn't give away the fact that she was totally bullshiting him, her last sentence most certainly did.

"Haha, okay, very funny." Duke said, feeling somewhat stupid for just assuming this was her bike. "Now I know you're lying. The reason I know that is because I was in the X Games this summer, and sadly enough, there were no girls there. So who's the bike belong to?"

"My brother." The brunette answered. "He's racing later tonight."

"Well you better wish him luck, and hope he doesn't have to race against me." Duke replied.

"Oh, someone's a little too confident, or should I say cocky?"

"Call it what you want, the only thing that matters is that I can back up what I say." The junior stated. "I'm Duke, by the way." He introduced, taking off his glove and holding out his hand.

"Elizabeth," She responded, returning his gesture, "but everyone just calls me Beth."

"Well Beth, it was nice to meet you. Hopefully I'll see you around here again soon." Duke said. "Now, I have to go because I have a race to win." The blonde hustled over to his dirk bike, slid on his helmet, and kicked the kickstand down. He revved up his bike and waved to Beth before riding it over to the starting line.

"Hey, who was that guy you were talking to?" Jason asked, coming up to his sister. He never liked guys hitting on her; he was very protective over the girls he cared about.

"None of your business." Beth replied, nonchalantly. She didn't need her little brother's approval for who she could and couldn't talk to. "But we got your bike down, thanks for all the help." With that, Beth tossed him his helmet and walked away.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

The following morning in school, Chris and Duke had just been let out of their 5th period class to go to lunch. The two boys had become acquaintances in the past few days they had known each other, and decided to sit at the same table in the lunch room. As they were walking down the hallway, Duke recognized the girl from last night. Beth was her name. She was talking to Gwen Puckerman, 11th grade English teacher and coach of the Glee Club, and it seemed to be a very light-hearted conversation.

"Hey, who's that girl talking to Ms. Puckerman? I think I know her." Duke asked, not believing what his eyes were telling him.

"Beth Corcoran? She's the coach of Vocal Adrenaline and Gwen's niece." Chris replied.

"Vocal Adrenaline?"

"Yeah, they're our Glee Club's rival show choir. They've won Nationals every year since Beth started coaching them. Of course we're still nice to her because she's like family to us, but that doesn't dissolve the tension between the show choirs. Wait, how do you even know her?" The junior questioned.

"That doesn't matter." Duke insisted, brushing off the other boy's concerned tone. "So do the kids in Glee Club see her around a lot?"

"Uh...I guess. I mean, we have family gatherings every once in a while because all of our parents were in Glee Club together, and she usually always shows up for those. Why the sudden interest?" Chris asked. "Please don't tell me you have a thing for her?"

"I wouldn't really worry about that right now," Duke assured, "considering you're getting what you wanted in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Chris was so confused at the moment.

"I'm joining Glee Club." Duke said with a smile on his face before turning back the other way and heading for the sign-up sheet. Chris, however, wasn't so sure if this was a blessing or a curse, but there wasn't really anything he could do about it now. He'd just have to wait and see how everything played out.

The scene cut to the auditorium, where Duke and Violet were sitting in stools on stage, her brother strumming the guitar. The band was playing behind them, while everyone already in the Glee Club watched and listened.

_**Duke:** We've been on the run_  
_Driving in the sun_  
_Looking out for number one_  
_California here we come_  
_Right back where we started from_

_Hustlers grab your guns_  
_Your shadow weighs a ton_  
_Driving down the 101_  
_California here we come_  
_Right back where we started from_

Duke was hesitant when his mother finally told him their family would be moving to Lima, Ohio, of all places. He was leaving everything he'd grown accustomed to behind and starting fresh in an unknown place. If Duke was being honest, it actually scared him a little bit. People here may see him as rough and closed off, but in reality, he's just like everyone else: insecure about fitting in. That's the real reason he decided to join Glee Club. It wasn't for Beth, or his sister, or his mom...it was for him.

_**Both:** California!_  
_Here we come!_

_**Violet:** On the stereo_  
_Listen as we go_  
_Nothing's gonna stop me now_  
_California here we come_  
_Right back where we started from_

_Pedal to the floor_  
_Thinkin' of you more_  
_Gotta get us to the show_  
_California here we come_  
_Right back where we started from_

Did Violet miss being away from her home? Of course she did. Did she miss her father and all the things he was going to miss now that he was gone? Even more so. But she was here now, and she had made a new friend in Emily, so she thought she might as well make the best of it. Sure, some times are bound to be harder than others, but it's comforting to know you have a support system behind you to back you up when you're in trouble, and that support system for her was Glee Club.

_**Both:** California!_  
_Here we come!_  
_California! California!_  
_Here we come!_

It was a family, a place to feel welcomed, a place to call home.

**a/n: Alright, so that was the first chapter! What did you guys think? Leave a review and let me know. Also, check out the character's fashion sense and Duke and Jason's motocross gear on my tumblr. Have a nice day!**


	3. Meet the Competition Pt 1

**Yes, I know, I took fifty million years to update and I'm so sorry :( I've just been super busy and my life is really hectic right now. There isn't as much Vocal Adrenaline in this chapter as I wanted there to be, so next chapter will focus on them as well. Also, the New Directions members that weren't in this chapter will be in the next one. Hopefully the wait for that won't be as long. My apologies again and I hope you enjoy the chapter for those of you loyal people still reading.**

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

It was a gorgeous, sunny Tuesday afternoon, with blue jays chirping in the trees and fish swimming aimlessly amongst the ponds and creeks that ran through Lima's lush forests. Unfortunately, this wonderful sight was lost on the members of Carmel High's undefeated show choir, Vocal Adrenaline, who were busy with grueling rehearsals inside the school's blistering-hot auditorium.

The clock on the wall read a quarter to seven, which meant the students had already been practicing for over four hours. This was a common occurrence for the show choir, who usually spent nearly 40 hours a week preparing for competitions. That's more time than regular kids spent on school and homework combined!

Sure, being a member of a prestigious show choir like Vocal Adrenaline wasn't an easy ordeal, but it sure set you apart from any other singing group out there, and for that reason, they remain one of the toughest competitors to date.

"Alright guys, let's run it again!" Beth Corcoran shouted from the isles of the bleachers in the auditorium. This would be the team's 11th run-through, and some members were already beginning to feel the heat of exhaustion grace their features. Their palms were sweaty, faces were red like a hot tamale, and everyone's legs felt like jelly, yet they knew if they wanted to make it to Nationals this year, they needed to give it all they had.

The guitar players started the song back up, while students in the band began pounding on the drums and the auditorium became eerily silent as Vocal Adrenaline broke out into a wide-range of contemporary moves and dance steps.

_**[Choreography is on my tumblr]**_

_**Jasper:** It's been a long time coming since I've seen your face_  
_I've been everywhere and back trying to replace_  
_Everything that I had 'til my feet went numb_  
_Praying like a fool that's been on the run_

_But with you_  
_I feel again_  
_Yeah, with you_  
_I can feel again_  
_Yeah_

_**All:** Woo-hoo [x4]_

_**Girls:** I'm feeling better ever since you know me_  
_I was a lonely soul but that's the old me_

_**Jasper:** I'm feeling better ever since you know me_  
_I was a lonely soul but that's the old me_  
_A little wiser now from what you've shown me_  
_I feel again_  
_Woo-hoo_

"Pretty good;" Beth stated, offering up a mediocre applause, "girls, your movements should be crisper. I don't want you flailing all over the place. And boys, your lifts need to be stronger. We'll have to be excellent if we expect to make it to Nationals again this year."

As Vocal Adrenaline finished their performance, Beth noticed a mail carrier come into the auditorium, carrying a beautiful bouquet of pink lilies. She figured they were for one of her students, considering she could think of no one who would send her flowers, but when the man called out the name, "Beth Corcoran?" her jaw nearly dropped. A million thoughts began rushing through her head. Who were they from? Why did they send them? Was this a practical joke someone was playing on her?

She was snapped out of her thoughts when the mail carrier set the bouquet of flowers down on her desk and walked away.

"Oh, looks like Ms. Corcoran's got an admirer." Cordelia announced, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Don't get your hopes up." The brunette replied. "They're probably just from my mother or something." Beth got down from the stage and headed over to where the flowers were resting on the table. She spotted a note on one of the lilies and picked it up, expecting to read a response from one of her relatives, congratulating her on Vocal Adrenaline's third consecutive national championship.

She looked down and read the note as follows;

_Dear Beth,_

_Seeing as how you already know I'm a gentlemen, I thought the polite thing _  
_to do would be to ask you out on a date. I hope the flowers can explain where _  
_words come up short, and that you consider my offer, whether your decision be _  
_a yes or no. If it is in fact a yes, which I hope it is, meet me at Washington Park_  
_at 7:00 pm on Saturday. I'll be next to the gazebo, I hope to see you there._

_P.S. Be sure to dress up, preferably in formal wear._

_~ Duke_

Beth couldn't help but have a gigantic smile on her face after she finished reading the note. This was something not easily missed by her students, and they immediately bombarded her with the exact same question.

"Who are they from?" Kristen asked, first out of the gate.

"Oh, just an old friend." Beth responded, tucking the note safely away in her pocket. "I'll tell you what, you guys can be released an hour early today. I think you've earned it." As soon as Beth turned her back to gather up her belongings after a long day's work, Cordelia spoke up.

"Whoa, she must be in a really good mood." The senior whispered.

"Yeah, she never lets us out early." Marcus replied, ruffling the dirty blonde hair on his head.

"Who do you think those flowers were really from?" Jasper asked, slipping on his jacket.

"I'd say a boyfriend," Kristen answered, "or at least someone she has a crush on."

"Well, I'm not complaining," Micah responded, "especially if it continues. I may actually have a chance at a normal teenage life then."

"I'd have to agree with Micah on this one." Cordelia said. "Some free time might be nice for a change."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Jasper asked. "Who's up for grabbing dinner at Breadstix?"

"I'm in." Kristen replied, with everyone else soon following suit. Vocal Adrenaline gathered up their bags and jackets before exiting the auditorium and heading off to Breadstix.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

Violet and Emily were roaming aimlessly around the hallways of McKinley High School, Wednesday morning, killing time before their first period English Lit. class. The two had just recently become friends, in Violet's semi-valiant attempt to defend her against the Cheerios that ran this school from top to bottom. She'd never met one directly, but she could already tell that they were trouble and wanted nothing to do with them and their pettiness.

"So, what was your old school like?" Emily asked while carrying a stack of books. "Did you have a lot of friends back home?"

"Surprisingly enough, I did." Violet replied. "My brother and I were actually two of the most popular kids in school. I guess you could say I fell out of touch with most of my friends after my dad passed away. I'd just float mindlessly through my classes and hope no one asked if I were okay. Then again, when people did, it's not like I gave them an honest answer. I gave them the response they wanted to hear, the one that would put them at ease."

"And did it?" The taller brunette questioned.

Violet scoffed. "My friends weren't really the sentimental type. They were actually fairly similar to your cheerleader "friends" from yesterday. As long as you told them you were fine, they wouldn't ask questions. I guess that's what you can expect when you have fake friends."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Emily responded. "Hopefully this school will be different. I mean, you already have me, right? I'm sure you'll make some really great friends here. McKinley's a pretty nice school, with the exception of a few people."

"Thanks." The junior replied, sounding sincere, something that was usually out of her element.

"Speak of the devil, or should I say _devils._" Emily said, nudging Violet's view in the direction of the Cheerios. Standing by their lockers were Aurora, Delilah, and Evita, Kitty Wilde's most popular and respected cheerleaders. "Still looks like they're missing a member though."

At that moment, ironically enough, the main doors of the high school flew open and in walked the baddest bitch of McKinley, Ms. Katy Anderson herself.

_[Cue the song "Sexy Silk" by Jessie J with the scene in slow-motion.]_

Katy strutted down the hallway in her brand new, perfectly fitted Cheerio's uniform as everyone in the school stared at her in pure awe, except for Violet, who had her arms crossed over her chest. Emily just looked frightened.

_Boy, I will be your sexy silk_  
_Wrap me around, 'round, 'round, 'round_  
_I'll be your pussycat licking at your milk_  
_Right now down, down, down_

The junior blew a kiss to some jocks, who looked dumbfounded leaning against their lockers. She saved a wink for the captain of the baseball team, who soon after slid to the floor, clenching his chest.

"Is this actually happening?" Violet asked, sounding annoyed.

_Oh, a kiss can last all night!_  
_You'll have to seduce me, nibble and bite_  
_(Aww, yeah)_  
_But oh no no no_  
_Whoa whoa go_  
_Slow baby don't_  
_Ohhhh!_

Katy pushed a nerd who was grabbing some books into his locker before knocking over a couple who didn't seem to get the memo that she was making a dramatic entrance. Violet and Emily's mouths flew open due to the cheerleader's actions. This girl was ruthless.

_Whoa whoa whoa whoa_  
_Whoa boy you're gonna win!_  
_Say 'yeah, yeah, yeah' you're under my skin_  
_I got butterflies within_  
_Ohhhh!_  
_I think I like you!_

Katy stopped next to the Cheerios' lockers, where her friends were there waiting for her.

"Well if the whole school didn't know you were coming back to school today, they definitely know now." Lilah told her friend.

"Talk about making an entrance. No one could take their eyes off you." Evita added.

"As it should be." The junior replied with a smirk.

"Hey, so did you convince the principal to switch you over to our first period English Lit. class?" Aurora asked.

"Of course. Have you forgotten who I am?" Katy questioned. "I once convinced Mrs. Jacobs to let us watch "Mean Girls" during class instead of take a test because it gave a positive influence of the Mathletes."

"We all know how much she loves that club." Lilah replied, shrugging.

"I still think it's social suicide." Evita responded.

"Whatever, let's just get to class." Aurora said. "If I'm late again I'll get a detention." The four cheerleaders shut their lockers and headed off to their first class of the day.

After reaching their destination, the girls gestured for some students already sitting down to move so all four of them could sit next to each other. No one ever dared to split them up, knowing there would be severe consequences did they ever try.

"Does everyone at this school just let them get away with that?" Violet whispered, her and Emily sitting near the back of the classroom.

"Pretty much. It's been like that for as long as I can remember, I guess it's sort of second nature by now to do whatever the cheerleaders say."

"Hmm..." Violet mumbled, leaning back in her seat.

At that moment, the teacher walked into the classroom catching nearly every girl's attention. He looked more like a male model than an English Lit. teacher, but no one in the class really minded. Ever since last year when he began teaching, Mr. Demmer would get swarmed with female students wanting to take his class, even some who had already taken English Lit. Most of the boys usually got stuck with mean, old Mr. Marks because all the girls begged the principal to put them in Mr. Demmer's class. It actually turned out to be a great way to increase test scores and grade point averages because girls were finally paying attention in class, not being able to resist listening to the teacher's self-written poems or sweet-sounding monologues.

"Is it just me, or does Mr. Demmer get hotter every day he's alive?" Lilah asked.

"Try every minute." Evita replied, resting a hand on her cheek.

Behind them, Emily rolled her eyes. "I swear, those girls are obsessed with any man with a pulse." She said, rifling through the pages of her notebook.

"Was that jealously I just heard in your voice. I have to admit Em, I never took you as the type." Violet teased. "It's fine if you have a little thing for the teacher too, I can't really blame you."

"I don't like Mr. Demmer." Emily assured. "I'm fine with letting the immature freshman fawn over him, just leave me out of it."

"Okay, whatever you say, but I would suggest stop turning those pages so hard before you tear off the binding." She warned, and Emily stopped with the aggressive page flipping.

"Alright class," Mr. Demmer spoke from the front of the classroom, "as you all know, you had a book to read over the summer, Jean Rhys' _Wide Sargasso Sea. _A great book I may add. Now, can anyone tell me what the main character, Antoinette, was trying to overcome throughout the duration of this book?"

No one in the class raised their hand, which usually meant one of three things; they didn't read the book, they didn't understand the book, or they just really didn't feel like raising their hand. In Violet's case, she didn't receive the assignment due to her recent move, but surprisingly enough she had already read the book before. Violet actually read a lot of literature, something not very many people knew about her.

"Come on, I'm sure someone knows. Anybody want to take a stab at it?" Mr. Demmer asked.

"She was trying to overcome oppression." Violet responded. "Caught in a patriarchal society in which she belongs neither to the white Europeans nor the black Jamaicans, she has no choice but to endure the harshness of displacement and assimilation."

Mr. Demmer looked impressed while the rest of the class couldn't help but seem confused. "That's exactly right. Nicely said Ms..."

"Greene." The junior replied. "Violet Greene."

"Well Violet, you seem to have an excellent grasp on postmodern literature. I have to say I'm mildly impressed. Good work." He replied with a smile. "Now, I'm sure most of you already know what oppression is, but just for the sake of learning, could anyone give me a definition?"

"Why don't you ask the cheerleaders?" Violet suggested, and the four girls in question turned around, sending her dirty looks. "They seem to understand it better than anyone. Isn't that right, Katy?"

"Excuse me..." The dark-skinned girl responded, not amused.

"Well, you have to admit it's the truth. I mean, people at this school are oppressed every day by tyranny. Your's and your friends' to be exact. After all, oppression means unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power. Kind of like the cheerleaders and how they use their status and popularity to get everything they want. Now honestly, can you tell me you've never done that?"

"Look, I don't know who you are but you better watch what you say to my friends and I." Katy replied.

"My friends and _me._" Violet corrected and Emily just looked at her like she was crazy. Was she trying to ruin her social life for all eternity?

"All right girls that's enough." Mr. Demmer said, putting an end to their bickering. "Violet, I think we get it."

The rest of the class continued on as normal, with Mr. Demmer basically having to explain the entire book to his class. Katy wasn't paying attention though, she was to busy devising a plan to take down the new girl.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

Barbara Hudson was in the library after school let out, taking over the duties Mrs. Williams, the school's librarian, usually had. A couple of days a week, when she doesn't have other club meetings to attend, Barbara helps out at the library, whether it be restocking bookshelves or running the check-out desk, while Mrs. Williams tutors students with special needs. It wasn't a huge contribution, but she at least felt like she was doing something considerate for a very nice person.

"Hi, I was wondering if you could help me find a book." A boy's voice said, coming from the front desk. Barbara turned around, ready to be of service, and saw someone she wasn't really expecting to see.

"Oh, hi Sean!" The sophomore exclaimed, happy to see him. "It's the girl from lunch the other day, you probably don't remember me-"

"You're the one who wouldn't tell me her name." Sean said with a chuckle. "Yeah, I remember you."

"Yep, that's me." Barbara replied with a laugh. "So what book do you need help finding?"

"Um, it's called _T__o Kill a Mockingbird, _but I can't remember the author."

"That's fine," She responded, "I know what book you're talking about."

"Oh, great. I need it in braille if you don't mind."

"No problem, just follow me." Barbara walked around the counter and to Sean's surprise, grabbed him by the hand, making sure to walk slowly so he could keep up. She stopped in one of the isles and pulled a book from the shelf. "Here we are, _To Kill a Mockingbird _by Harper Lee. In braille. I'll just go check this out for you."

Sean waited while Barbara checked out the book. "Would you mind putting it in my backpack for me. I think I'm just going to take it home."

"Sure." The sophomore replied, rounding the counter once more to place the book safely in the blonde boy's backpack.

"Thanks." He responded, graciously. She was a lot nicer than most of the people he had met at this school. "Hey, I was going to grab a soda at the vending machine down the hallway, do you want to come with me?"

Barbara was a little taken aback, not because she didn't want to go, but because he seemed so genuine about it. Most guys in this situation would invite her to one of his friend's wild parties or to a movie so they could make out, but the sudden change of pace had her feeling special for a change. Sean wasn't trying to show her off, he just wanted to grab a soda like two normal friends, and she found that very humbling.

"Sure, why not? A soda sounds great right now! Let me just grab my stuff and tell Mrs. Williams that I'm leaving a little early today."

"Okay, I'll meet you by the vending machine." Sean walked out of the library and turned left down the hallway towards the soda machine. Barbara showed up a few minutes later.

"Glad to see you found the place. I swear, they hide these vending machines out of plain sight so students don't bring drinks into the classrooms." Sean said.

"How'd you know it was me? I could have been a jock getting out of football practice." The brunette replied.

"Most jocks don't wear high-heeled boots and strawberry-scented perfume."

"None that you know of, you mean." Barbara said, causing them both to laugh. "But what I'm more curious to know is how you found_ your_ way here."

"Ah, I've had this school's floor plans memorized forever now. At this point, all someone has to do is tell me where I am and tell me where I'm going and I can get myself anywhere."

"That's amazing." Barbara replied. "I don't think I could ever do anything like that."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short. I'm sure a little memorization is no match for Barbara Hudson." Sean responded, shocking Barbara.

"How in the world did you figure who I am?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"I actually didn't realize it until about ten minutes ago, when you recognized me at the front desk. Mrs. Williams tutors me a lot and she's always talking about how she's so appreciative to have Barbara Hudson helping her out at the library, so when I found out you and the girl from lunch were the same person, I guess the mystery was solved."

Immediately, the thought of him using her for her popularity popped into her head. I mean, he only asked her to grab a soda after he found out who she was. Maybe he wasn't as different as all the other guys, maybe he was just like them. Tons of negative thoughts began racing through Barbara's head, but she didn't want to believe a single one of them because she was really starting to like this guy.

"And before you start thinking I only asked you here because of who you are, that's not the reason at all."

"It's not?" Barbara questioned. "Then why did you?"

"Because I like the _kind_ of person you are. I think you're funny, and smart, and completely random all at the same time. When I'm at my tutoring sessions with Mrs. Williams, I could always hear you singing songs under your breath, even if you didn't know the words you would just hum the tune. And every time someone would say something wrong you'd have to correct them, even if they weren't talking to you and you weren't a part of their conversation. I also noticed that you tap your pen a lot when you're annoyed. The reason I think that is because the only time you do it is when guys are talking to you and you keep asking them to go away. It doesn't matter to me how popular you are because the girl I like isn't beautiful, or the president of Student Council, or the lead in musicals, or adored by tons of people; she's just a librarian. And I would really like to be friends with that girl."

Barbara looked completely speechless. She could honestly say that was one of the nicest, most sincere things she had ever heard in her life. How could she think for one second that Sean was like those other guys? He was way too sweet. "I think I could definitely go for us being friends." The sophomore said with a radiating smile.

Sean sent her one in return. They both had a feeling this was just the beginning of something truly remarkable.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

Theo and Aurora were sitting in art class, not speaking to each other after what happened last week. Principal Shuester had sentenced them both to two weeks after-school detention, where they would help Mrs. Harper clean up the art room by washing brushes and scrubbing paint-stained tables. It also got Aurora in serious trouble with her mother/cheerleading coach, which only made her resent Theo more for getting her into this mess in the first place.

"So, Theo, how'd your parents react after the principal told them about what happened?" One of his friends asked.

"They were pretty angry." The junior replied. "I was grounded for an entire week; that meant no tv, no cellphone; it was brutal, man."

"Oh, please, that's nothing." Aurora responded. "Your mother sounds like a saint compared to mine. At least you don't have to spend two extra hours at cheer practice every day training for tricks that could kill you."

"I'm sorry, were we talking to you?" Theo asked, sarcastically. "I don't think so."

"Come on, man, be a little sympathetic. We only have to live with Coach Wilde harassing us for seven hours a day, Aurora has had to live with that her entire life." Kyle, one of the boys at the table, said.

"Hey, why should I feel sorry for her? It's her fault this even happened."

"Excuse me? You're the one that started being rude to me the second I walked in the door." The blonde quipped back.

"Can you really blame me?" Theo exclaimed. "You're a girl that knows nothing about art, taking an art class. I'd say that's pretty pathetic."

"How would you know how well-versed I am at a certain subject? You've never even taken the time to get to know me. Ignorance isn't a good trait on you Theo, so how about you do us all a big favor and stop being such a jerk!" With that, Aurora gathered up her things and left the table. She was about to open the door that led out of the classroom when Mrs. Harper walked in.

"Going somewhere, Ms. Wilde?" The teacher asked, eyeing the materials she was carrying.

"I just wanted to ask you if I could have a different seating arrangement. I'm not getting along with some of the people at my table."

"Sorry, no-can-do, Aurora." Mrs. Harper replied. "Sometimes in life you just have to learn to get along with people, no matter how much you don't want to."

"But Mrs. Harper-"

"No excuses, Aurora. Take your seat."

Feeling defeated, the junior returned to her seat, not making eye contact with Theo as she sat down. Class passed by slowly, with Mrs. Harper droning on about European art during the Renaissance. Theo spent most of that time scribbling in his notebook while Aurora went over cheerleading moves in her head. After about 45 minutes of talking and demonstrations, class was nearly over.

"Now, before class ends, I want to talk to all of you about this year's semester-long project." Mrs. Harper announced. "First of all, it's going to be worth 30% of your grade, so I suggest you all take it very seriously." She handed out four syllabus' to each table and continued speaking. "Each person in class will be paired up with a partner, and from there, I want you both to create a portfolio for each other. It can be filled with anything from a drawing of a self-portrait to a collage of their favorite sports teams. The sky's the limit on this project, just make sure you're learning something about the other person in the process. This assignment is designed to help you understand a person better, and possibly cause you to look at them in a different light. Art is all about perspective, and I'd really like to change some of the one's you have on each other. So with that being said, the partners are listed up on my chalkboard. Before you leave class, be sure to take a look at it. Any questions over the project, come see me."

The bell soon rang and students hustled over to the chalkboard to see who their partner was. Theo and Aurora weren't in such as big of a hurry, mostly because they both had study hall next and it didn't matter how much time they took.

"Hey, good luck you guys, you're going to need it." A boy said while walking past Theo and Aurora's table. Neither of them knew what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?" Theo asked.

"Well, since you're partners now, I'm pretty sure you'll need all the luck in the world not to kill each other."

"WHAT?" The two juniors exclaimed at the same time. Without any hesitation, they both jumped out of their seats and rushed to the chalkboard, hoping this was some practical joke, but to both of their dismay, the boy was telling the truth. They were partners.

Aurora immediately flew to the teacher's desk. "Mrs. Harper, I don't think you understand. I can't work with Theo, he's an incompetent blockhead. I'd have a better chance of getting a good grade on this assignment working with a monkey."

"You're one to talk." Theo replied, offended. "At least you didn't get stuck with a conceited Barbie doll who couldn't tell the difference between a Kandinsky and a Kardashian."

"I'm sorry you two, but my decision is final. You're working together, so you either find a way to get along or you fail my class. The choice is yours." Mrs. Harper got up to go refill her coffee mug, leaving the bickering students alone in her classroom.

"Well, there goes my perfect 4.0, thanks a lot." Theo said, slipping his backpack over his shoulder and walking towards the door.

"Hey, this isn't my fault. I've tried to be nice to you, but you make it impossible!" Aurora retorted. "I'll just go to the principal's office after school today and ask him to switch me into a different class. The semester only started a week ago, I'm sure he won't have a problem with it. This way, neither of us have to do something we clearly don't want to do."

"Whatever, let's just hope it works." Theo replied, about to exit the classroom when he ran into Romeo. He must have been coming by to talk with Aurora. The boys stared at each other for a moment, not saying a word, until Theo maneuvered around him and walked off down the hallway.

"Well that was awkward." Aurora said, bluntly, noticing the tension between the two boys.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Romeo responded. "I can't even remember the last time I talked to him."

"I still can't believe you guys ever used to be best friends." The blonde recalled, grabbing her things and joining her boyfriend by the front door. "What ever happened between you two?"

"We stopped being friends in eighth grade, right around the time I started seeing you. I don't know what went wrong, he just started blowing me off and soon after that we fell out of touch completely. Then when we got to high school, I joined the Cheerios and he hung around with the art club. We went down different paths and haven't looked back since."

"Well maybe it's for the best," Aurora said, trying to sound optimistic, "you guys are two different people now. Some friends don't stay friends forever."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just wish I knew why he stopped talking to me. I mean, I started spending more time with you, but he was always welcome to hang out with us."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, babe. We're just fine without him." Aurora planted a quick peck on Romeo's cheek before the two exited the classroom and walked hand-in-hand down the hallway.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

Thursday morning classes felt like they were flying by for the junior, Emily Puckerman, as she made her way to her locker on the second floor of the high school. Her day thus far had been less hectic than yesterday's, what with none of her friends getting into fights, and she made it a priority to enjoy the calmness while it lasted, even if it were only for a short period of time.

Emily opened up her locker, which was filled with textbooks, binders full of notes from class, and a picture of her and her boyfriend that was hidden behind one with her friends because she didn't want anyone else to see it. They had only been dating since the beginning of summer, but Emily had been forced to keep their relationship a secret in fear of what her friends and family would think.

This wasn't a frequent occurrence for the junior, lying to her parents; she was actually a very trusting and responsible daughter. She always received straight As, had perfect attendance, and was the captain of the dance team at school. To most people, she was the epitome of a well-behaved teenage girl, except when it came to the boyfriend department.

Emily smiled as she moved the photo of her friends aside. She knew what she was doing was a bad idea, and completely unlike her, but she couldn't help it. She really liked this guy. Just then, she heard her name being called out from behind her and immediately slammed her locker shut, hoping that whoever it was that wanted her attention didn't see the picture.

She turned around and was greeted with someone unexpected. "Oh, Mr. Demmer, it's just you." Emily spoke, holding a hand to her chest. She was afraid it was going to be one of her friends.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" The teacher asked, noticing how nervous she had looked.

"Oh, no, I'm fine." The junior replied. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I actually wanted to discuss the rough draft you turned in for your English paper. That is, if your not too busy. I realize I caught you at a bad time; I know right now is your lunch hour."

"That's okay, I'm not hungry anyway." Emily responded, already beginning to walk down the hallway to Mr. Demmer's classroom. "Is everything fine? With my English paper, I mean? It wasn't terrible, was it?"

"No, of course not." The teacher replied. "It was actually exceptionally well-written; you're a very bright student." He continued, reaching the door to his classroom and allowing Emily to walk in first. He kicked the wooden stopper out from under the door to close it before returning to his desk and ruffling through papers to find Emily's. Emily took a seat on top of one of the desks and crossed her legs.

"So what's the problem?" The brunette asked.

"Well, despite the content being somewhat questionable-"

"Questionable?" Emily repeated, somewhat confused.

"I mean, _When Summer Ends _by Isabelle Rae is a great book, but it's about a student-teacher relationship. Some people may find you doing a book report on such a topic mildly inappropriate." Mr. Demmer replied.

"Well what do you think?" The junior asked, standing up and walking over to his desk, placing both hands on the cool, wooden surface. "Do you find it inappropriate?"

"Umm..." He knew what she was doing, and he couldn't help but think she had a valid point. "I just think you should be more cautious about what you write. Like in the part of your paper where you referred to "Will Morris, alluring bartender and Chloe's forbidden teacher romance," as both intense and boyishly handsome. *Boyishly*? Really? Why do you have to do that to me?"

Emily laughed. "Yeah, you know I originally wrote "Will Morris has seductive eyes and the intriguing looks of someone who, with just a hint of his incandescent smile, could make any women's knees start buckling", but I decide to change it."

Mr. Demmer shook his head, "There's just no room for truth in writing anymore."

Emily couldn't help but smile as she pushed off his desk and began walking towards the back of the classroom, free of windows and the world outside these limiting walls. Riley watched as her fingers slid lightly over the tops of the desks and her grin grew wider with every passing moment. He stood up and followed her to the back, not wasting a second before enveloping her in a kiss and lifting her up by the waist to set her on the bookshelf.

"I...missed you...today." Emily said, between kisses.

"I missed you too, Em." Riley replied, breathless. He then suddenly stopped kissing her for a moment to ask, "You really think I'm _boyishly _handsome?"

Emily chuckled, creating some distance between the two so she could speak. "You're still on that?" She questioned, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It was a joke, Riley. If what Katy and her friends were saying about you yesterday is any indication of your effect on women, I'd say you're pretty damn handsome, boyish or not."

"Wait, what we're they saying about me?" The 23-year-old teacher asked.

"Does it really matter?" Emily responded. "They're teenage girls, what do you think they were saying about the hot English Lit. teacher?"

"Good point," Riley replied, "and speaking of teaching, I have another class in..." He glanced at his watch, "less than ten minutes. Looks like I'm going to have to let you go."

Emily groaned, tightening her grip around his neck. "I wish you didn't have to. This is _so _much more fun than Calculus."

"Sorry, but I think with me being a teacher, telling you to skip class to hang around with me all day would be a little hypocritical."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Emily said, jumping down off the bookshelf and making her way over to Riley's desk to grab her book report. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, _Mr. Demmer. _And thanks for the advice you gave me on my paper; you've given me a lot to think about."

"Anytime, Emily." He replied, and the junior sent him a wink back before exiting the classroom.

**~~~ It All Starts Somewhere ~~~**

**I know this chapter is pretty short, but I wanted to cut it in half so I could update sooner. The other half of the chapter will be coming next week. Thanks for reading!**


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